Emergency Management Bill (No 2)
This bill replaces the old Civil Defence Emergency Management Act from 2002. It sets up clearer rules for who does what when New Zealand has an emergency — like a flood, earthquake, or pandemic. It creates new roles and planning requirements at national, regional, and local levels. It also gives communities and Māori a stronger voice in emergency planning, and makes sure essential services like power and water keep running during a crisis. The bill has been reviewed by a parliamentary committee, which has suggested many changes to improve how it works.
What this affects
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The bill updates the list of events that count as an emergency to include pandemics, not just epidemics
We agree that there would be benefit in updating the term 'epidemic' to 'pandemic', and consider that it would be helpful to include major transport incidents.
We recommend amending clause 6(2) accordingly.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Governance and Administration Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 14 February 2026.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.